Kinflicks
Encyclopedia
Kinflicks is a novel
by American writer Lisa Alther
. It was Alther's first published work, and the "subject of considerable pre-publication hyperbole."
years, her marriage
, and beyond.
. It was "the subject of considerable pre-publication hyperbole..., soaring in the slip stream of Fear of Flying
, Erica Jong
's bestselling hymn to the body electric
. The novel proves again—if any doubters still remain—that women can write about physical functions just as frankly and, when the genes move them, as raunchily as men. It strikes a blow for the picara
by putting a heroine through the same paces that once animated a Tom Jones
or a Holden Caulfield
. And it suggests that life seen from what was once called the distaff side suspiciously resembles the genitalia-centered existence that male novelists have so long monopolized."
wrote of Kinflicks that Alther was "a strong, salty, original talent."
Time called it an "abundantly entertaining progress through the unsettled 60s
" and noted that "as exuberant caricature
Kinflicks is authentically inspired"; while the novel "teems with cartoon eccentrics mouthing balloonfuls of inflated nonsense[, u]nhappily, Ginny [the protagonist] is equally one dimensional."
More than 30 years after its publication, Katherine Dieckmann
, reviewing the author's 2007 memoir, also commented on Kinflicks, calling it a "raucous novel [that] was all the rage among my high school set for its lurid paperback cover (nude female back, gilt lettering) and its frank talk of erections and lesbian hook-ups. Revisiting the novel 30 years later, it’s clear the packaging sold the contents short: Alther’s best-known book is a witty coming-of-age tale in which a tart-tongued protagonist named Ginny wanders her way through an identity crisis, mostly against a classic counterculture
background."
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American writer Lisa Alther
Lisa Alther
Lisa Alther is an American author and novelist. Her first name is pronounced as if it were spelled Liza.-Biography:...
. It was Alther's first published work, and the "subject of considerable pre-publication hyperbole."
Plot summary
The novel starts with a first-person reflection on her life so far by the protagonist, Virginia "Ginny" Hull Babcock Bliss, as she catches a plane to look after her gravely ill mother. From then on, dated chapters in third person alternate with Ginny's non-linear first-person reminiscences of her childhood, her teenage years, her collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
years, her marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, and beyond.
Publication
The first printing consisted of 30,000 copies, and was chosen as an alternate selection of the Book of the Month ClubBook of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
. It was "the subject of considerable pre-publication hyperbole..., soaring in the slip stream of Fear of Flying
Fear of Flying (novel)
Fear of Flying is a 1973 novel by Erica Jong, which became famously controversial for its attitudes towards female sexuality, and figured in the development of second-wave feminism....
, Erica Jong
Erica Jong
Erica Jong is an American author and teacher best known for her fiction and poetry.-Career:A 1963 graduate of Barnard College, and with an M.A...
's bestselling hymn to the body electric
I Sing the Body Electric (Whitman)
"I Sing the Body Electric" is a poem by Walt Whitman from his 1855 collection Leaves of Grass.Its original publication, like the other poems in Leaves of Grass, did not have a title. In fact, the line "I sing the body electric" was not added until the 1867 edition. At the time, "electric" was not...
. The novel proves again—if any doubters still remain—that women can write about physical functions just as frankly and, when the genes move them, as raunchily as men. It strikes a blow for the picara
Picaresque novel
The picaresque novel is a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts, in realistic and often humorous detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society...
by putting a heroine through the same paces that once animated a Tom Jones
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones, is a comic novel by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. First published on 28 February 1749, Tom Jones is among the earliest English prose works describable as a novel...
or a Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield
Holden Caulfield is the 16-to-17 years old protagonist of author J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. He is universally recognized for his resistance to growing older and desire to protect childhood innocence...
. And it suggests that life seen from what was once called the distaff side suspiciously resembles the genitalia-centered existence that male novelists have so long monopolized."
Critical reception
Nobel laureate Doris LessingDoris Lessing
Doris May Lessing CH is a British writer. Her novels include The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook, and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos....
wrote of Kinflicks that Alther was "a strong, salty, original talent."
Time called it an "abundantly entertaining progress through the unsettled 60s
Counterculture of the 1960s
The counterculture of the 1960s refers to a cultural movement that mainly developed in the United States and spread throughout much of the western world between 1960 and 1973. The movement gained momentum during the U.S. government's extensive military intervention in Vietnam...
" and noted that "as exuberant caricature
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
Kinflicks is authentically inspired"; while the novel "teems with cartoon eccentrics mouthing balloonfuls of inflated nonsense[, u]nhappily, Ginny [the protagonist] is equally one dimensional."
More than 30 years after its publication, Katherine Dieckmann
Katherine Dieckmann
Katherine Dieckmann is a film and music video director known for her work with R.E.M. and the feature films Good Baby and Diggers.-Music video filmography:*"Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M.*"Stand" by R.E.M.*"Your Ghost" by Kristin Hersh...
, reviewing the author's 2007 memoir, also commented on Kinflicks, calling it a "raucous novel [that] was all the rage among my high school set for its lurid paperback cover (nude female back, gilt lettering) and its frank talk of erections and lesbian hook-ups. Revisiting the novel 30 years later, it’s clear the packaging sold the contents short: Alther’s best-known book is a witty coming-of-age tale in which a tart-tongued protagonist named Ginny wanders her way through an identity crisis, mostly against a classic counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
background."
External links
- Kinflicks from the author's official website
- Review at Jezebel.comJezebel (website)Jezebel is a blog aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media.Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog...